The Coolest Guy in the Room

Michael Gartenberg | September 18, 2006, 11:06 AM

One discussion I’ve been having a lot over the last year (and an awful lot over the last week as there was some discussion about whether iPods were still cool to the 18-28 crowd) is what is “cool”. Like the famous Supreme Court ruling, we often know it, when we see it but it’s a lot harder to quantify. We do know that there’s nothing worse than something that’s not cool trying to be cool. But I’ll suggest there’s at least two types of cool, perhaps you can think of more. One type is stuff that’s short lived, trendy and comes and goes pretty quickly. In fact, that type of cool, often looks pretty silly just a short time later. Think “Leisure Suits” from the 70’s for example. But there’s another type of cool that’s different. It’s timeless and transcends generations, demographics and genders. Think Sean Connery as James Bond, Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry or Steve McQueen as, well, Steve McQueen. It applies to products too. Most 45 year olds think BMWs are pretty cool cars. So do most 25 year olds (although they might not be able to afford them). While I agree that every generation has a unique voice, there are some types of cool that just go beyond just demographics. I’m pretty sure Steve Jobs is also in that category. Pretty sure iPods are as well. At least for now.